Did you know right here in the Triangle we have an important site from our nation’s history?
If you are familiar with Civil War history, you will likely know about the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox in Virginia on April 9, 1865. However, that was not the only surrender during the war. In fact, the largest surrender of the war happened in Durham at Bennett Place between Generals Sherman and Johnston over a number of days about a week later on April 17, 18, and 26, 1865, and we’re currently in the midst of the anniversary of this historic event.
Bennett Place is now a North Carolina Historic Sites and provides a beautiful outdoor location where you can also learn more about this important history.
The location has a visitors’ center with artifacts and information about the Civil War plus a 17-minute video about the history. Outdoors, you can explore historic buildings with a self-guided tour brochure. Unfortunately the actual farmhouse where the surrender negotiations took place burned down in 1921, but the building you see in these photos is an original from the 1840s. Currently, you can peek in the windows and see the buildings set up with furniture. A few short, unpaved nature trails are also available.
Logistics:
• Closed on Sundays and Mondays
• Bathrooms available
• Small parking lot
• Nice shaded area with picnic tables for a lunch
• Wouldn’t label it “stroller friendly”, but most of the grounds except the nature trails probably could be navigated with a stroller
Combining history with the outdoors is one of our favorite pastimes! Have you been to Bennett Place, or another NC Historic Site? Let us know in the comments!
(Note: We're currently working on updating our website with our reviews. This review was originally posted on Instagram and Facebook on April 20, 2021.)